year since it was unified in 1960, driven in part by the development of neighboring agriculture areas that were once undeveloped. Families, she said, are drawn to the region by the quality of the school system, community safety, housing affordability, climate and proximity to the Sierra Nevada. But Clovis’ transportation policy means new schools
can sometimes have an inverse impact on route count. The district provides home-to-school transportation for elementary students living outside a one-mile radius and secondary students living 2.5-miles from campus. In the past three years, Clovis opened an elementary school, an intermediate school and a high school, but added only three general education routes in that same period. In many cases, Avants said, opening a new campus eliminated the need for routes that previous- ly existed because students had been traveling farther to reach school. All three new routes added since 2023 were for students attending the new intermediate and high school. Unlike some districts seeing more students travel
outside their neighborhood schools, Avants said Clovis Unified has not seen a significant change in those num- bers. Still, growth shows up in other ways. As enrollment increases, the district needs more buses for student trips
30 School Transportation News • JULY 2026
and co-curricular activities, even when general educa- tion routes grow only modestly.
Staffing and Maintenance Pressures The labor market remains one of the hardest con-
straints. Wen said OCPS competes for drivers and mechanics with theme parks, resorts, the local transit authority, Amazon, motorcoach companies and five other school districts. Multiple work locations help recruit employees who want to work closer to home, but the broader challenge remains: Transportation departments need more labor while many industries are chasing the same workers. Wake County is facing similar pressure. Tonkins said staffing, especially recruiting and retaining qualified bus drivers and technicians, is one of the biggest challenges created by growth. More buses also mean more pre- ventive maintenance, repairs and operational support. Bus parking, terminal space and transportation facilities must grow with the district, forcing transportation to work closely with student assignment, construction and district leadership rather than simply reacting after new schools or programs open. Clovis Unified works to manage growth by investing in its own workforce pipeline and maintenance capac-
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